Poker as a metaphor for life works really well, because basically everything we do is calculating risks and presenting bluffs. Heidi: It was all kinds of fun to set a novel in Vegas, though challenging because I haven’t ever really been there.

TNA: How much fun did you have setting this story in Vegas? Explain to readers, if you will, the ways in which poker is really a metaphor for life. When I wrote Hooch and Cake and he waltzed into the pharmacy, I kept thinking, “What the hell are you doing?” But of course, the only thing to do with Randy is ride it out and remember he always responds to safewords.

Heidi: Randy is a party to write, though always dangerous. TNA: Is he a fun character to write? If so, what makes him so interesting to explore? As Nobby Nobbs of Discworld would say, “They hit him in the voonerables.” I suspect people fear if he’s that bad in Special Delivery, what in the world will he be like in his own book? Of course, my reply to that is, Randy in love is another animal entirely. Randy, though, really likes to push everybody to the edge, even readers. Reformed rake is a big trope for a reason. Heidi: Well, Randy is a bad boy, and bad boys have been popular since the first one winked at somebody across the room. TNA: So, Heidi, let’s start today’s interview off with Randy, shall we? Some folks weren’t too happy with Randy when they met him in Special Delivery, were they? What makes him such a compelling character and redeems him enough in the end, do you think, to bring readers around to his side and makes them anxious, yet still somewhat reluctant, to read his story? We’re offering a chance for one lucky reader each to win an e-copy of either Special Delivery or Double Blind, so read on and good luck! Today we’re going to talk a little bit about Double Blind (Special Delivery #2), and then be sure to watch in April for Heidi’s return with Tough Love. TNA: The Novel Approach is so glad to welcome Heidi Cullinan back today as she continues on the Special Delivery Blog Tour.

Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan